Mole Sauce

Name: Mole Sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1/2 onion, chopped; 2 cloves garlic; 1/4 cup peanuts or almonds; 1 oz dark chocolate; 2 cups chicken stock; 1 tsp cinnamon

8 servings20 min prep45 min cookMedium

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The Story Behind It

The Tale of Mole Sauce

Story updated September 18, 2026

Mole is a family of complex Mexican sauces rooted in pre-Hispanic cooking, later enriched with ingredients like chocolate and spices introduced through colonial trade. Mole poblano, the best-known version, is often linked by legend to convent kitchens in Puebla, though its true history is layered and predates any single tale.

Ingredients

Scale:· 8 servings

4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup peanuts or almonds
1 oz dark chocolate
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1Toast dried chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant, then soak in hot water 15 minutes.
2Sauté onion and garlic in oil until softened.
3Blend soaked chiles, onion mixture, nuts, chocolate, stock, and cinnamon until smooth.
4Return to the pan and simmer 30-35 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

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